Marry Me Chicken Dip

Mary Me Chicken was a dish created by Lindsay Funston, a former executive editor at food publication Delish in 2016. When one of her video producers tasted the dish, he declared “I’d marry you for that chicken”. Hence, the clever name stuck. The story and recipe went viral and over time food bloggers adapted the original recipe to create this rich, flavor-packed “Delish” dip.

I always say it’s hard to make brown food look pretty, but in this case, who cares, as it was absolutely delicious.

I have to admit I have never made Marry Me Chicken or Marry Me Chicken Dip, but lately I’ve been on a dip kick and found the recipe online. I will definitely be making Marry Me Chicken soon as if it’s anything like the dip, and I know it is, it will be a hit!

I like to make dips for my weekly canasta and mahjong get-togethers. We’re all foodies and love to eat and this dip did not disappoint. I prepared it over two days so it was really easy to put together. Of course you can make it in one day, but lately I enjoy a more relaxed pace.

Start by grating the cheeses: white cheddar, parmesan and my twist Gruyere. I’m a bit of snob when it comes to grated cheese. Yes, you can buy it already grated, but the grated cheese often contains fillers (like sawdust) and stabilizers to keep it fresh. It only takes a few minutes to grate yourself and the end result is much better.

Grate 1 1/4 cup parmesan divided, 1 1/2 cups white cheddar divided, and 1/2 cup Gruyere, also divided. Set aside.

Next chop 4 garlic cloves to make about 4 Tbsp. Set aside. Next, slice 1 jar (8.5 oz.) sun-dried tomatoes thinly. Set aside.

Heat a heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 Tbsp. olive oil. Season chicken generously with salt/pepper.

I used those thinly cut chicken breasts, which are usually pretty well trimmed. Cook until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. Temp should be around 165 degrees, but it will be easy to see if your chicken is cooked. These chicken breasts are thin so should take around 3 to 5 minutes per side.

In the same skillet over medium-low heat, cook the sun-dried tomatoes, stirring occasionally until slightly darkened and brick red, about 2 minutes.

Stir in garlic and thyme stirring frequently until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add a splash of water to help scrape up the brown bits left from the chicken. Remove from heat.

In a food processor, pulse cream cheese, about 3/4 of the tomato mixture, any bits from the bottom of the skillet and half of the parmesan, half of the cheddar and half of the Gruyere. Add 1/4 tsp. salt and process until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl.

Lately I have been using Tillamook brand dairy for everything. It is a bit richer than Philadelphia brand and I love their story. In 1894 Peter McIntosh brought a cheddar cheese recipe to the Tillamook Valley in Oregon. He set the standard for cheddar cheese. In 1909 10 local creameries organized to form the Tillamook County Creamery.

I love this companies history.

In 1947 the company expanded beyond cheese and started making ice cream. Today they make over 200 different products. In 1949 the 4 largest independent cheese plants merged to create the now famous Tillamook Cheese factory. In the 60’s the company re-organized and unified as a single corporation. 2018 brought massive re-design, building a modern visitors center and facility in Tillamook designed to look like an authentic working farm. See the ship logo on their package and click below to learn why that is an intrinsic part of the companies history.

To learn more, go to: https://www.tillamook.com/our-story

I know this has very little to do with Marry Me Chicken Dip, but I am fascinated by the stories behind food emporiums that build the fabric of our American history, culture and society.

Back to the recipe…

Using your hands or 2 forks, shred the chicken. You want to make pieces the size that will naturally fit onto a cracker or toasted baguette.

Fold the shredded chicken into the cream cheese mixture.  Either return to the skillet for final baking or drop into ramekins, as I did, to finalize the dish.

In a small bowl combine what is left of cheddar, Parmesan and Gruyere. You will also use the remaining sun-dried tomatoes to top. Start with a layer of cheese, next the sun-dried tomato, garlic, thyme mixture and finally top with the remaining cheese.  Bake the dip until top is golden and bubbly; about 20 minutes.

Everyone in my canasta group seemed to love this dip.

What would I do differently: next time I would add either 2 tbsp. of mayonnaise or Greek-style yogurt to make it a little looser and even more goopy, but it sure was gooooood!

I hope you enjoy as much as we all did. 

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Marry Me Chicken Dip

Rich, creamy, very yummy appetizer.

Ingredients

• 2 8 oz. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts Or 3 skinny cut breasts.
• Salt/Pepper to season the chicken
• 3 Tbsp. Extra-virgin Olive Oil
• 1 8.5 oz. Jar sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained and thinly sliced
• 4 large Garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp. Thyme, finely chopped
• 2 8 oz. Packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/4 cup Parmesan grated, divided
• 1/2 cup Gruyere, divided
• 1/12 cup White cheddar, divided
• Crostini or crackers for dipping

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• In a medium, high-sided cast iron or other ovenproof skillet over medium heat, heat 3 Tbsp. olive oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook until golden brown. Instant read thermometer should read 165 degrees; 5 to 7 minutes if full-sized breasts; 3-5 minutes if skinny breasts. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
• In the same skillet over medium-low heat, cook sun-dried tomatoes, stirring occasionally until darkened and brick red in color; about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook, stirring until fragrant; about 1 more minute. Add a splash of water, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Remove from the heat.
• In a food processor, pulse cream cheese, about 3/4 of the tomato mixture and any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add 1 cup Parmesan, 1/4 cup Gruyere and 1 cup cheddar. Also add 1/4 tsp. salt. Blend until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl.
• Using your hands or 2 forks, shred the chicken. Fold into the cream cheese mixture. Spoon the mixture back into the skillet and spread in an even layer.
• In a small bowl, combine the remaining cheddar, Parmesan and Gruyere. In layers, with cheeses being first, top the dip with cheese, remaining tomato mixture and finally top with the cheese. Place in the oven and bake until the top is golden and bubbly; about 20 minutes.